US20200154905A1

US20200154905A1 - Breastfeeding Privacy Shield Carrier

Info

Publication number: US20200154905A1
Application number: US16/668,533
Authority: US
Inventors: Brandy Nixon; Jimmy R. Nixon
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2018-11-15
Filing date: 2019-10-30
Publication date: 2020-05-21

Abstract

The present invention is a device to provide privacy to nursing mothers when feeding their babies as well as holding and supporting the baby while it is being fed so that the mother can remain hands free. The invention also has pockets for carrying essential baby items such as diapers and cleaning wipes and it can be spread open on a horizontal surface for use as a clean place for changing a baby's diaper.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Provisional Patent Application No. 62/767,924
Filing Date: Nov. 15, 2018
Relationship: Provisional Patent Application was for the same invention.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

This invention was not made by an agency of the United States Government nor under a contract with an agency of the United States Government.

THE NAME OF THE PARTIES TO JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT

Not Applicable.

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC OR AS A TEXT FILE VIA THE OFFICE ELECTRONIC FILING SYSTEM (EFS-WEB)

Not Applicable.

STATEMENT REGARDING PRIOR DISCLOSURES BY THE INVENTOR OR A JOINT INVENTOR

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

The present invention is a device designed to assist mothers who are nursing (breast feeding) their baby. In addition to providing a degree of privacy for the nursing mother by shielding nursing baby from view, the present invention supports the baby during nursing leaving the mother's hands free for other tasks.
When not in use the invention can be worn on the mother's back, much like a backpack. Storage pockets are provided in the invention for diapers and other baby necessities. The invention may also be spread out horizontally to provide a clean surface for changing a baby's diaper.

Description of Related Art

The Convertible Nursing Bag (U.S. Pat. No. 7,464,423 issued Dec. 16, 2008 to Goodwin et al.) describes a padded carrying bag that can also be used as nursing pillow.
The Baby Carrier (U.S. Pat. No. 5,011,057 issued Apr. 30, 1991 to Perruzza et al.) describes a sling like baby carrier worn across the body. The baby may be breast fed when being carried in the sling.
The Nursing Cover-Up (U.S. Pat. No. 9,968,148 issued May 15, 2018 to Gibbons, et al.), the Nursing Cover (U.S. Pat. No. 8,990,968 issued Mar. 31, 205 to Patricia Garegnani) and the Caregiver Cover (U.S. Pat. No. 8,707,467 issued Apr. 29, 2014 to Schalyn Sohn) are all invention designed to provide privacy to a nursing mother by shielding the breast feeding baby from view.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a device to hold and support a baby when being breast fed in addition to providing privacy screening for the mother. The invention is affixed to the mother by means of adjustable padded straps that are worn over the mother's shoulders. The invention expands outwards to allow room for the baby to lie horizontally adjacent to either breast while feeding. After feeding the invention can be adjusted to place the baby in a vertical position for burping and carrying the baby. The shoulder straps are adjustable to account for both the baby's growth and for varying sizes of the women who utilize the invention. The side privacy shields are also adjustable to enlarge the carrier as the baby grows.
When not in use, the invention may be worn on the mother's back much like a backpack. Pockets in the invention provide convenient storage for essential baby needs such as diapers and cleansing wipes.
The present invention is an improvement upon the inventions noted in the previous in that the present invention provides both a padded carrier for the baby that can be used while breast feeding as well as a privacy shield for the nursing mother.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a side back view of the invention showing the storage area (10), the carrying shoulder straps (20), the detachable waist training belt (30), the storage area (40) for the side privacy shield and the storage area (45) for the upper privacy shield.

FIG. 2 is a side back view of the invention showing the storage area (10), the shoulder carrying straps (20); the detachable waist training belt (30), the side privacy shield (41) and the upper privacy shield (46).

FIG. 3 is a top down view of the invention showing the shoulder carrying straps (20), the detachable waist training belt (30), the cushioned area for the baby (40) and the baby safety strap (51).

FIG. 4 is a view of a baby being positioned in the invention showing the shoulder carrying straps (20) and the cushioned area for the baby (50).

FIG. 5 is a view of the mother positing the shoulder carrying straps (20) over her shoulders with a baby in position inside the invention, also showing the storage area (10), the detachable waist training belt (30) and the storage area (40) for the side privacy shield.

FIG. 6 is a view of the back of the mother with the invention positioned over her chest showing the shoulder carrying straps (20) and the shoulder carrying straps security belt (21).

FIG. 7 is a view of the front of the mother with the invention positioned over her chest showing the storage area (10), the shoulder carrying strap (20), the detachable waist training belt (30), the storage area (40) for the side privacy shield and the upper privacy shield (46).

FIG. 8 is a view of the side of the mother with the invention positioned over her chest showing the shoulder carrying strap (20), the detachable waist training belt (30), the storage area (40) for the side privacy shield and the upper privacy shield (46).

FIG. 9 is view of the side of the mother with the invention positioned over her chest showing the shoulder carrying strap (20), the detachable waist training belt (30), the storage area (40) for the side privacy shield and a side access slit (60).

FIG. 10 is a side view of the mother with the invention positioned over her chest showing the side privacy shield (41) deployed and the side access slit (60).

FIG. 11 is a side view of the mother with the invention positioned over her chest showing the side privacy shield (41) deployed along with the shoulder carrying strap (20), the detachable waist training belt (30) and the upper privacy shield (46).

FIG. 12 is a side view of the mother with the invention positioned over her chest showing the baby being breast fed behind the privacy shield (41).

FIG. 13 is a back view of the invention showing the storage area (10), the shoulder carrying straps (20), the detachable waist training belt (30) with storage area (31), and the side privacy shields (41).

FIG. 14 is a front view of the invention showing the shoulder carrying straps (20), the carrying strap security belt (21), the detachable waist training belt (30), the side privacy shield (41), the cushioned baby area (50) and the baby safety security strap (51).

FIG. 15 is a front view of the invention with a baby showing the shoulder carrying straps (20), the carrying strap security belt (21), the detachable waist training belt (30) and the baby safety security strap (51).

FIG. 16 is a view of the cushioned baby area (50) with a swivel joint (52) so that the baby can be positioned to feed from either breast or in an upright position for carrying.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention disclosed in this application is a device for holding and supporting a baby while the baby breast feeds while providing privacy to the mother and nursing baby. The mother wears the device in front of her chest, it is secured to the mother by means of adjustable padded carrying straps (20) across the mother's shoulders. This allows the mother to be hands free while the baby nurses as the mother does not need to hold the baby in her arms. Security straps (21), attached to each of the padded shoulder carrying straps (20), can be fastened together behind the mother's neck to ensure that the device does not slide off of the mother's shoulder while the baby is in the device.
A cushioned area (50) for the baby bounded on the sides by privacy shields (41) that screen the baby and the mother's breast from view while the baby is nursing. The side privacy shields (41) (privacy screens) are assembled in an accordion fashion and when not extended are folded back into a zippered storage area (40). The privacy shields (41) can then be extended an accordion like extension at a time to continue to provide privacy for the mother as the baby grows. When the side privacy shields (41) are not in use, they are folded back into a zippered storage area (40).
The invention also includes an upper privacy shield (46) at the upper portion of the invention that shields the baby's head from view. When the upper privacy shield (46) is not in use, it is folded back into a zippered storage area (45).
The baby is secured into the cushioned area (50) by means of a safety strap (51) that prevents the baby from slipping out of the device. The baby holding cushioned area (50) is attached to device using a swivel joint (52) so that the baby can be positioned horizontally adjacent to either breast to feeding or the baby can be positioned vertically for carrying when the baby is not feeding.
The cushioned area (50) can also be laid out and used as baby changing station providing a clean surface for the baby to lay on while the baby's diaper is being changed.
In addition to the zippered storage areas (40, 45) for the side and upper privacy shields, the invention includes zippered storage areas (10, 31) for miscellaneous items like baby wipes. invention also includes a detachable waist training belt (30) that can assist the mother in losing weight gained during pregnancy. The detachable waist training belt (30) is weighted to provide the mother with exercise while wearing the invention.
An access slit (60) is also provided so that the mother may either reaching into the device or out of the device when the side privacy shields (41) are extended.
When not being used to hold a baby in front of the mother for the baby to nurse or otherwise be carried, the invention can be worn on the mother's back like a backpack. The invention can also be used in this position to carry the baby on the mother's back.
The invention can also be used to provide privacy for the mother while she is expressing milk by means of a breast pump. The breast pump would be placed in the cushioned area (50) used for the nursing baby.
The outer covers of the invention can be constructed of a variety of materials such as cotton, polyester, nylon or other synthetic fibers. Commercially available closures such as zippers, spring clips and Velcro can be used to closing storage areas and fastening safety straps. The cushioning or padding in the invention can be made from a variety of commercially available padding such as memory foam, polyurethane foam, or latex foam.
Potential patent classifications for this invention include:

- Class A41: Wearing Apparel
- Sub-class A41D: Outerwear, Protective Garments; Accessories
- Sub-class A41F: Garment Fastenings; Suspenders
- Class A45: Hand or Traveling Articles
- Sub-class A45C: Purses; Luggage; Hand Carried Bags
- Sub-class A45F: Traveling or Camp Equipment; Sacks or Packs carried on the body

The present invention described above and illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 16 is visualized as the preferred embodiment of the invention. It is envisioned that this invention may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that changes in forms and details may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application. It is therefore intended that the present invention is not limited to the exact forms and details described and illustrated herein but falls within the scope of the appended claims.
The terminology used herein is for describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.
Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the specification and relevant art and should not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein. Well-known functions or constructions may not be described in detail for brevity and/or clarity.

Claims

The invention claimed is:

1. A system for holding a breast feeding baby that shields both the nursing baby and the mother's breasts from view, said system comprising a device that holds the baby to the mother's chest where said device has padded carrying straps that are placed over the mother's shoulder, foldable screens at the sides and top of the device which when extended shield the nursing baby and the mother's breasts from view, and a cushioned area for holding the baby that can be rotated to position the baby horizontally to feed from either breast or position the baby vertically when not feeding.

2. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the device is equipped with a detachable weighted waist training belt

3. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the device is equipped with zipped storage areas for holding said foldable screens when not in use.

4. A device for holding a breast feeding baby against the mother's chest where said device is equipped with a cushioned area for the baby and shoulder straps for securing the device to the mother and where said device is equipped with foldable screens at the sides and top of the device which when extended shield the nursing baby and the mother's breasts from view.

5. The device as recited in claim 4, wherein said cushioned area for the baby is rotatable to position the baby horizontally for nursing at either breast or to position the baby vertically for carrying the baby.

6. The device as recited in claim 4, wherein said device is equipped with a detachable weighted waist training belt.

7. The device as recited in claim 4, wherein the device is equipped with zipped storage areas for holding said foldable screens when not in use.